There may not be a team on UConn's schedule with more history than the South Florida team visiting Rentschler Field on Saturday afternoon.

Ansonia's Arkeel Newsome is in the midst of an
impressive three-game run as a rusher, receiver
and kickoff return specialist for the Huskies

Who could forget the pure elation when Dave Teggart's 52-yard field goal with 17 seconds left was dead, solid perfect to give the Huskies the 19-16 victory, a share of the 2010 Big East title and a most improbable spot in the Fiesta Bowl. It was a day when UConn players, coaches and most of all fans could scream from the roof tops that they had arrived. The journey from solid I-AA team to BCS bowl participant was anything but an overnight one but the feeling was that this was just the start of something great.

Instead, a series of events transpired after the 48-20 loss to Oklahoma that sent the program reeling. Randy Edsall exited stage left to take the job at Maryland and the even though many of the decision makers were on the way out as well, the move was made to bring Paul Pasqualoni in to take the program to the next level. In retrospect it was the wrong man at the wrong time. Pasqualoni is one class act but also a decade removed from his last winning season as a collegiate head coach.

Fans and boosters scratched their heads at the hire and some did significantly more than that. The Huskies were actually in contention for bowl eligibility going into the 2011 season finale thanks to another win over USF but a loss to Cincinnati doomed the Huskies to a 5-7 record.

A 13-6 loss at USF in the 2012 season was the final nail in a four-game losing streak as the Huskies would once again finish with a losing season despite having five seniors taken between the third and sixth rounds in the 2013 NFL draft.

Foley Fatukasi is one of the rising stars on defense for UConn

It seems hard to fathom that USF's most recent trip to East Hartford came just two years ago and the Bulls took the field against a program in the state of disarray. UConn AD Warde Manuel had seen enough when a 41-12 loss at Buffalo, a school he used to work at, dropped the Huskies to 0-4. With an extra week to prepare for the start of the conference season, Manuel fired Pasqualoni and veteran assistant coach George DeLeone. Although the Huskies didn't give up an offensive touchdown in a 13-10 loss to USF, the feeling was UConn's program was years away from being relevant again even with the efforts of the energetic interim head coach T.J. Weist and a group of players who despite the chaos around them continued to fight the good fight. The Huskies would lose five more in a row to fall to 0-9 before ending the season with three wins a row.

Manuel aimed high and landed highly-respected Notre Dame defensive coordinator Bob Diaco.

It took a while but Diaco's impact on the program is hard to miss. The Huskies are sitting at 3-3 after a convincing 40-13 win over Central Florida. UConn lost by three at Missouri and was within four points of Navy late in the second quarter, something that would likely never have occurred a season or even two seasons ago. Then the Huskies went on the road and was tied with BYU 10-10 heading into the fourth quarter before falling by 17. Suddenly there is a sense that this team has a chance to play in a bowl - not in five years but in December.

Quirky might be the most accurate word to describe Diaco, a man who perpetually acts like he is on his 12th cup of coffee. One of the most bizarre scenes in his brief tenure with the Huskies came in last year's 17-14 loss at USF. UConn attempted to pass the ball four times in the first quarter and the results were a holding call, an intentional grounding penalty and another call for an illegal block. The other attempted pass resulted in Chandler Whitmer being sacked. USF recovered to set up the game's first touchdown.

A few months earlier Diaco was surrounded by local media at American Athletic Conference media day and said he it gave him the best chance to win he would run the ball on every single play. Everybody within ear shot laughed except Diaco. Sure enough, playing in horrendous weather and not believing his team could drop back and pass without disastrous results, he had the Huskies run the ball on every single play in the second quarter. UConn ran the ball 13 straight times. Six of the 10 passes came in the final two drives as the Huskies' valiant rally fell short.

Luke Carrezola is one of four sophomores to start on defense for UConn

Last year Diaco pressed so many young players into action and this season there have been seven sophomore starting on offense, another four on defense. The true freshman receivers are coming on and so are so many of the second-year players. First-year starter Tommy Hopkins looks like a keeper at guard, cornerback Jamar Summer is one of the team's most talented players. Linebacker Junior Joseph and pass rushers Luke Carrezola and Cole Ormsby have tremendous potential while Foley Fatukasi has a chance to become an unblockable force on the defensive line. Arkeel Newsome has emerged into an impactful player as a runner, receiver and kickoff return and tight ends Tommy Myers and Alec Bloom don't get a ton of balls thrown their way but the ones that do come usually result in a big play. NC State transfer Bryant Shirreffs has the looks of being a difference maker at quarterback, something the Huskies have lacked in recent years.

Another bizarre move by Diaco was the creation of a trophy for the self-proclaimed "rivalry" with Central Florida, which had no clue about this so-called rivalry. Diaco was the butt of plenty of one-liners on social media and in various papers around the country. However, I have to admit that after seeing the UConn team celebrating with the trophy after the victory over UCF and posing for photos with it before leaving the field that there was a method to Diaco's madness. Say what you want about this trophy and rivalry but the players bought 100 percent in and really they are the only ones who really matter.

Is this team ready to come away with the three more victories needed to receive a bowl invitation? It's hard to say but this is not a question that was even being posed either last season or two years ago.

Stay tuned because there's a chance that this young head coach has a plan that has the program moving in the right direction. A win on Saturday would be a major step in Diaco's master plan.

Making my way to the press box, I walked by plenty of folks heading to yesterday's UConn/Central Florida game but it seemed like I couldn't walk more than 10 feet without seeing friends or family members of the 11 Florida-born players for the Huskies.

Whether it was a couple of people wearing the No. 17 Puyol jerseys or even a couple of family members of injured offensive lineman Ryan Crozier proudly wearing his number 63, it figured to be a day those Sunshine State natives won't soon forget. If that was the mood before the game just imagine what it must have been like when the Huskies, behind stellar play from so many of the hometown products, raced off to a 40-3 lead en route to a 27-point victory.

Whether it was Jhavon Williams coming up with a crucial interception, Ron Johnson scoring a touchdown, Ellis Marder returning a muffed punt or Puyol going 5 for 5 on extra points and booting a 21-yard field goal, this had to feel like a walk into paradise for the former Florida high school football stars who made the difficult decision to head all the way up to Connecticut for college.

"They had a lot of fans down here," UConn junior safety Obi Melifonwu said. "I know Jhavon Williams' family came down, Bobby Puyol's family came down, Ellis Marder's family came down so it was great to see a lot of fans out here that support UConn football and will continue to support UConn football."

Williams, who intercepted a pass for the second game in a row and third straight road game, said he had 47 family members or friends in attendance.

"That was phenomenal to come here and be able to make a play in front of my parents, my godparents, my grandmother, it just feels so good, so surreal," said Williams, whose four career interceptions have come against Michigan, Missouri, BYU and now UCF. "It is a great feeling to know that something you worked so hard for all season came true tonight. They were running around with the trophy, celebrating, doing a song and dance in the locker room. It is so surreal feeling to be successful on the road."

If Williams was giddy about Saturday's festivities, imagine the emotions Johnson was feeling as his family had a chance to be reunited.

"I got to play in front of my brother who never got to see me play before," Johnson said. "It was a special moment for my mother having all of her kids together (for the first time) in almost 10 years, it was an amazing feeling.

"We wanted to come home in front of our family an put on a show and that is what we did."

Puyol said he felt as much joy seeing Williams or Marder make a game-changing play as he did when all six of his kicks went through the uprights.

"Today was for our team, our brothers and it was cool to see guys, especially Jhavon," Puyol said. "Jhavon lives 10 miles down the road from me so it was awesome seeing him do well, it was awesome seeing Ellis grab a fumble, he's my roommate. Ron, (Javon) Hadley it was great to see all of these guys perform because that is the greatest thing.

"In the beginning Coach Diaco said the swirl of game day but when we are going home, it is the swirl of game day. My mom telling me 'I've got this (number of) people coming' and she is saying 'oh, they are putting this on Facebook' and I said 'well, I might not get enough tickets' but I think the coolest thing about it is that we get to play in front of our families and our friends.

"We have been through a lot of ups and downs and to beat UCF, one of the top teams in our conference every single year, it was special and everybody sees you on ESPN. These are my guys, we are a brotherhood so it was cool to do."

Eight of the 11 Florida natives got into the game. Here is the breakdown

John Green, cornerback from Miami: One tackle and one pass breakup
Javon Hadley, cornerback from Miami: One tackle and one pass breakup
Ellis Marder, safety from Windermere: Had two tackles and a fumble recovery
Ron Johnson, running back from Naples: Ran for 21 yards including 12-yard TD and had two catches
Dan Oak, center from Fort Myers: Saw first action of career in the fourth quarter
Dallas Parker, tight end/h-back from Ponta Vedra Beach: Saw perhaps his most extended duty of the season
Bobby Puyol, kicker from North Palm Beach: Was 5 for 5 on extra points and had a 21-yard field goal
Jhavon Williams, cornerback from Delray Beach: Had three tackles and an interception

BIG GAME FOR UCONN COMMIT
Plenty has been written about the early success enjoyed by in-state UConn commits Keyion Dixon and Jasen Rose but other future Huskies are also having impactful senior seasons.

Donovan Williams was 11 of 13 passing for 190 yards and four touchdowns in less than two quarters as Hylton High defeated Gar-Field 61-20.

Something tells me that the race to get to teammates with no family members coming to tomorrow's game could have been rather interesting this week.

Perhaps nowhere are the need for tickets more pronounced for the Central Florida game than from UConn's defensive backs as four of the eight players on the two-deep chart hail from the Sunshine State.

Starting cornerback Jhavon Williams, a Delray Beach resident, estimated that he needed 40 tickets.

"I don't think I am going to get them all but my parents, they understand and will do their best," Williams said.

Reserve safety Ellis Marder from nearby Windermere couldn't even come up with a number.

"No counting" is how Marder responded when I asked him after Tuesday's practice how many tickets he was hoping to secure for friends and family.

Marder played at Lake Highland Prep in Orlando, just about two miles from the UCF campus.

Lake Highland Prep receiver Hayden Jones is a member of the UCF team and Marder remains in touch with him. Defensive back Drico Johnson, who is considered doubtful to play, is another UCF player that he knows very well.

"Drico played on my 7 on 7 team in high school so we have been close," Marder said. "I haven't talked to him in a little while. I talked to Hayden Jones a little bit, he played on my high school team and he is a great receiver."

The focus of my advance for tomorrow's game is on the quartet of Florid-raised defensive backs expected to see time for the Huskies (reserve cornerbacks Javon Hadley and John Green are both from Miami).

Maybe it's a coincidence that four defensive backs from Florida were not only recruited to UConn but play key roles for the Huskies or maybe not.

"You are going to go up against quick receivers, there is a lot of passing down there and it all about football down there," Hadley said. "Coming up here, we are going against faster receivers at the next level, it is top-level guys I have been playing since I was little."

There are 11 Florida natives on the UConn roster but only seven have made it onto the field this season with kicker Bobby Puyol, tailback Ron Johnson and tight end/h-back Dallas Parker joining the four aforementioned defensive backs. Ryan Crozier, who would have been the starting center had he not been sidelined for the season with a knee injury, reserve offensive linemen Dan Oak and Kyle Schafenacker and freshman receiver Frank Battle (who is redshirting) are the other Sunshine State products on the roster.

During his record-breaking run at Ansonia, High School there was little need to throw the ball to Arkeel Newsome because he was doing such damage in the run game. However. things are a little different at the college level.

In his final two seasons at Ansonia, Newsome did not have a game with more than one reception. Last season he led all UConn running backs with 11 catches and 155 receiving yards, 74 coming on one dazzling catch and run.

That was simply a prelude to what Newsome is doing now.

Newsome has caught nine passes for 114 yards over the last two games. I did some research on this and it is the most catches for a UConn running back in consecutive games since Andre Dixon had six against Cincinnati and four against Syracuse back in 2007. Finding the last Husky RB with more receiving yards in consecutive games proved to be more challenging. Actually, I went all the way back to 1981 and couldn't find a time when that happened.

It was a subject I have raised with Newsome before. He said he spent every time this summer catching passes from the JUGs machine to get him ready for his expanding role as a receiver out of the backfield.

"I am just ready for whatever they throw at me, giving it 100 percent with whatever I do," Newsome said.

I spoke with quarterback Bryant Shirreffs and offensive coordinator Frank Verducci about Newsome's gift for grab.

"We try to give him the ball behind the line of scrimmage or really anywhere on the field and he can make some big plays," Shirreffs said. :You may think it will only go five yards and he will turn it into a first down and even more. He is a fun player to play with."

It's been an interesting situation at tailback as it has turned into an "either/or" situation. Ron Johnson had 55 carries in the first three games but just one rushing attempt in the last two games. After carrying the ball just two times against Missouri, Newsome has 27 carries to go with his nine receptions.
Both Verducci and head coach Bob Diaco said that both sophomores are key players in the running game. Newsome is clearly the better receiver and has been utilized more in the last couple of contests.

"The participation pattern, there is a little bit of a shift there but I wouldn't read into it because I feel like right now we are coming back to what I think is appropriate and that is both players getting the ball, running the ball, getting their opportunities to run the ball, let the game come to the guy that is starts to come to," Diaco said. "They both do different jobs well so as the game tilts and one of the jobs becomes more important than the other, a rep pattern could tilt. All things being equal, I believe they will both participate and the game will tilt from there."

Newsome has shown enough when given the chance that he figures to continue to be featured in the passing game as the season moves on.
"He has so many dimensions to his game," Verducci said. "He is deceptively strong besides all the obvious talent or being quick and having exceptional hands and he just loves to play football, he is very fun to coach.

"He gives you the ability sometimes to just forego protection, just throw the ball hot to him and see what he can do with it. He has long ball ability, he has screen game ability, he's got underneath ability so he lets you be as imaginative as you want."

What's interesting is that dating back to 2008 when running backs snared 52 passes, the number of catches dropped each season

2008: 52
2009: 43
2010: 38
2011: 35
2012: 33
2013: 28

Last year there was a slight increase as the backs caught 30 passes. They could make a run at the 2008 total with the way things are going.

It is not all positive, however, with the use of the running backs in the passing game. There have been issues with the running backs missing blocks or heading out on patterns instead of staying in to deal with a blitzer.

"That is an area that has really been a liability," Diaco said. "I am not trying to place blame, I blame ourselves as coaches more than anything else but that position has created a lot more of a pocket stress than the offensive line."

It is an area that has been addressed in practice on a weekly basis. With three of the four running backs being sophomores, Verducci is hoping that there will be fewer missed assignments as the backs get deeper into the season.

"It is a continual work in progress," Verducci said. "You get most running backs, most big-time backs in high school aren't really asked to do pass protection (in high school). Many of them, due to their high school training, are fairly one dimensional, they are really good with the football under their arm. The things that you traditionally have to work on are pass receiving skills and the separator as I call it is their ability to pass protect - not only to pass protect but to identify their protection. We do ask a lot of them in that area and they have had some rough spots along the way in the first half. You've like to think with the experience and the continued development, that will sort itself out as we go through.

"You see it in practice but when you get out on the field and everything is moving 10 times faster so for me I think it is more of an experience factor and I look for us to get better with it as the season moves forward."

Verducci is also determined to get the tight ends the ball more as Tommy Myers and Alec Bloom have just 12 catches between them in the first five games. Verducci said the pass blocking issues of the offensive line and running backs is not a reason for the limited number of times Myers and Bloom are being targeted in the offensive game plan.

"They are really not involved in pass protection to tell you the truth," Verducci said. "We have very few protections that require them to stay in. They are not inactive by design, I will put it that way, there have been some opportunities that we have missed when they have been open in games and I think as the season goes on, they will continue to pop up as they did the first couple of games."

Getting back to Newsome's pass catching prowess, here are some numbers to chew on. His 167 receiving yards are the ninth most for a UConn RB during the FBS era and his is only 113 behind the first-place mark of 280 set by Andre Dixon in 2007. Newsome has the two highest receiving yardage totals for a UConn RB since the Huskies began playing at the FBS level.

Here are the lists of top receiving performances by a UConn running back since the Huskies became an FBS program

50-YARD RECEIVING GAMES
Newsome 2-77 vs. Temple 9-27-2014
Newsome 4-63 vs. Brigham Young 10-2-2015Todman 3-59 vs. Rutgers 10-31-2009
Brown 4-58 vs. Cincinnati 10-25-2008
Dixon 3-55 vs. Louisville 10-19-2007
Dixon 4-52 vs. Akron 9-29-2007
McCombs 3-52 vs. Western Michigan 10-1-2011
Sherman 7-51 vs. West Virginia 11-1-2008
Dixon 6-51 vs. Cincinnati 11-10-2007
Newsome 5-51 vs. Navy 9-26-2015Sherman 3-51 vs. Rutgers 10-18-2008
McCombs 2-51 vs. North Carolina State 9-8-2012

8 OR MORE RECEPTIONS IN CONSECUTIVE GAMES
10 Andre Dixon Cincinnati (6), Syracuse (4) 2007
9 Arkeel Newsome Navy (5), BYU (4) 20158 Lyle McCombs Towson (5), Maryland (3) 2014
8 Anthony Sherman West Virginia (7), Syracuse (1) 2008
8 Terry Caulley Temple (3), Vanderbilt (5)

RECEIVING YARDS IN SEASON280 Andre Dixon 2007
270 Anthony Sherman 2008
231 Cornell Brockington 2004
230 Lyle McCombs 2012
205 Terry Caulley 2002
185 Jordan Todman 2009
176 Terry Caulley 2005
172 Lyle McCombs 2011
167 Arkeel Newsome 2015
155 Arkeel Newsome 2014

I just finished watching a replay of last night's game because you always see things a little differently than you do on game night. Now it is time to break down what went right and what did not.


THE GOOD
The sophomore trio of Foley Fatukasi, Luke Carrezola and Junior Joseph have a chance to be scary good by the time they are there. Heck, they might already be there. I would have to think Villanova quarterback John Robertson was seeing images of Carrezola when he went to sleep last night, Carrezola was only credited with six tackles but he was constantly applying pressure. It was Carrezola who did just enough to force Robertson into the throw which was intercepted by Andrew Adams/ Fatukasi had two of the team's four sacks and two tackles for loss. He was simply too much for the Villanova line to handle. Joseph didn't get as much attention as the game was going on but when he hits you, the play is over.

Ron Johnson displayed quickness, vision and power for UConn

Tight ends were not a featured part of the passing game in the two scrimmages I saw and it was good to see Tommy Myers and Alec Bloom targeted as much as they were. The combined for 99 yards on three catches and could have had six catches between them.

I wrote earlier in this blog how much quicker Ron Johnson looks and it was on display against Villanova. He was cutting quickly and with purpose but also displayed pure power. I had him forcing four missed tackles in the first half and I wish I had charted his yards after contact because it would have been a pretty impressive number. His final numbers (23 carries for 69 yards) might not blow anybody away but don't forget a 24-yard run wiped out by a needless hold by left tackle Richard Levy.

If Bryant Shirreffs was rusty while playing his first game since 2013, it didn't show. He finished 12 of 20 for 202 yards with two touchdowns and an interception. He was victimized by two sure drops, made a great throw down the sideline to Noel Thomas that was just a matter of an inch or so from being a huge play and while his throw to Myers late in the first half wasn't great, it was merely bad luck what it resulted in an interception. Shirreffs was tentative a couple of times on runs but that part of his game figures to improve. I thought they forgot to look in the direction of Noel Thomas for long stretches which is something the Villanova team was probably very thankful for.

THE BAD
Villanova had six tackles for loss and by my count, four of them were a result of simply not blocking the defender. Most of these came from the left side where there seemed to be communication issues with Levy, the tight ends and running backs. This is easily fixed and I would think it will be addressed this week in practice. It was encouraging that the interior of the line featuring first-time starters Tommy Hopkins and Brendan Vechery seemed to hold up pretty well. Also, senior guard Tyler Samra wasn't too noticeable on the tape which is usually a good thing for an interior offensive lineman.

Six offensive touches for Arkeel Newsome is simply not acceptable. He needs to get his hands on the ball more and his 27-yard dash to the end zone with a screen pass made that abundantly clear. What was interested in watching the tape is that he ran to the sideline right before that play thinking he was being taken out. Instead, Max DeLorenzo came to the sidelines and Newsome came up with one of the best plays in the game.

The holding penalties on veteran tackles Levy (wiping out Johnson's best run) and Andreas Knappe (resulting in a safety when he was called for holding Trumbull's Don Cherry in the end zone) were lazy plays. They were in position to make the blocks but instead reached out and grabbed jerseys. The 15-yard penalties against Fatukasi and Johnson was a case of young, enthusiastic players getting carried away. I am sure it will be a point of emphasis as their passion and skill make them key players on this UConn team but they will learn when it is time to line up for the next play.

THE UGLY
 With the exception of the third quarter, UConn's defense on third down was just dreadful. There was a stretch where Villanova converted five first downs on seven third-down plays. Here's the breakdown

3rd and 6: 7 yards
3rd and 2: 2 yards
3rd and 21: 22 yards
3rd and 9: 10 yards
3rd and 6: 13 yards and a touchdown

Villanova averaged 7.2 yards on third down plays and 3.5 on all the other plays. The Huskies did such a great job putting themselves in position to get off the field only to throw it away with poor execution on third down.

By my count UConn missed 10 tackles. Now five of those came against the slippery John Robertson but still, that is a concern. It is the season opener and it is the first time they could hit with no restrictions but with Army and its vaunted option offense up next, this needs to be cleaned up.

In closing, UConn has to feel pretty good about how things went especially with 11 of the 22 starters being sophomores including seven first-time starters. I am sure there are some out there saying what's the big deal about an FBS team beating an FCS team especially at home. The fact is that a year ago UConn would not have won that game and two years they didn't emerge victorious in a similar situation as Towson posted a 33-18 win. Villanova is not your ordinary FCS team even with the loss key players on the both sides of the game. For a program needing positive results to build off, what took place last night was a nice way to get things started.

Guard Tyler Samra could be UConn's only senior starter on offense

A new season, a new offensive coordinator and plenty of optimism that this is the season when not turning the ball over can be considered a successful possession.

As I begin my fourth season on the beat, the story lines surrounding the UConn football team haven't really changed. Frank Verducci is the fourth offensive coordinator in the last four seasons (five if you count the time when Shane Day called the plays after T.J. Weist became the interim head coach).

Bryant Shirreffs will be the third different quarterback to start a UConn season opener in the last three seasons and there are people, myself included, curious to see how he is going to perform. For the record, I liked what I saw in the two scrimmages and two practices I attended in preseason camp more than what I witnessed during spring practice. He can make all the throws, has looked pretty good throwing the deep sideline out which is the one throw I always look for in judging a quarterback's arm strength. He doesn't seem to be as much of a riverboat gambler as Chandler Whitmer. Whitmer's aggressive mindset resulted in some tough throws into tight windows but also costly interceptions. I don't think Shirreffs will make as many risky throws as Whitmer did. He also gives UConn a true pass-run threat at the quarterback position which is something that has been lacking.

That is not the only question I have regarding the offense. I think UConn is in pretty good shape at offensive tackle with Richard Levy and Andreas Knappe returning for their second season as starters. However, the interior offensive line positions, that is a different story. UConn fans have to hope that the season-ending injury suffered by Ryan Crozier doesn't become a popular story angle because that would mean that first-year starters Brendan Vechery and Tommy Hopkins were struggling. It was hard to get an accurate read on how they are playing because going up against UConn's defensive line is going to be a tough task for anybody this season.

Noel Thomas enters his junior season as UConn's top receiver

My other major concern is who emerges as a secondary receiving option. Noel Thomas is primed for a special season. In my opinion he's been UConn's best player in camp. He has caught everything and I do mean everything thrown in his direction. He had enough highlight variety catches in the last scrimmage I was at as some players get in an entire season. However, teams are going to make it a point of taking Thomas away so it will be imperative that somebody else steps up. It would not surprise me in the least if true freshman Tyraiq Beals ends up being that guy. I also anticipate tailback Arkeel Newsome and the tight end position (likely Alec Bloom and Chris Lee)  to be targeted often.

While their offensive philosophies are different, I see a lot of T.J. Weist in new offensive coordinator Frank Verducci. He's an energetic, tell it like it is kind of guy and when the assistant coaches are made available to the media, he is usually either the first or last guy I seek out. He was the last person I spoke to during UConn's media day and he gave me some great stuff about the growth of the offense since a less than stellar showing in the first scrimmage of preseason camp.

Here's what he had to say.

"I like how we have progressed in the last week," Verducci said. "(The second scrimmage) was a giant step for us, it was more situation specific, red zone and stuff like that. We were pleased with the progress. Even since then I think we have made another jump.

Arkeel Newsome led UConn in all-purpose yardage as a freshman

"One of the things that is hard to develop is a sense of self expectation standards. I think our standards have risen, our expectation of how we practice, how efficient we are and all that kind of thing and that has jumped up. The greatest thing is that we have kept the players healthy and in doing so, they have had a chance to improve and I think they have done that."

Every indication is that sophomores Ron Johnson and Newsome will handle the bulk of the carries although I expect to see senior Max DeLorenzo seeing time as well likely at a variety of positions.

"What we have to be careful with Ron is we have to understand that he is still a young player," Verducci said. "In a lot of programs he would have been a redshirt and he would just be playing, he would be getting his first exposure right. A lot of times he would be getting exposure behind an upperclassmen where he shot to the front of the line here for whatever reason. The thing as a coach that I have to be aware of is that he is a young player, he does lack experience in certain areas. Just because he is the No. 1 guy, we still think his ceiling is still very high and we are trying to continue to develop him as he is contributing which is a bit of a challenge.

"Arkeel is very deceiving. For a guy as slight in stature as he is, he is as physical of a player that we have pound for pound he really is a physical player."

About the offensive line ...

"I think the greatest asset we have there is Mike Cummings because he's doing a tremendous job of building them as a group, developing them individually so I have all the confidence in the world there," Verducci said. "As a former line coach myself, I sit there and watch what Mike does and he does a sensational job. The players absolutely respond to him and I am confident with where we are headed even with the lack of experience there, we are just going to continue to get better."

Some of his quotes on Shirreffs made the story I filed on Sunday when Shirreffs was named the starting quarterback but in case you missed it, here you go.

"I love Bryant Shirreffs," Verducci said. I think his teammates will say that he is one of if not the hardest working guy on the team,

"Bryant Shirreffs is a guy that every minute you invest with him, you get a return, he is a joy to work with."

Finally, depending on what happens with DeLorenzo, guard Tyler Samra could be the only senior starter on offense so I was curious if Verducci was concerned about a lack of veteran leadership.

"The team is led irregardless of class," Verducci said. "Some of our best leaders are sophomores and juniors on the offensive side of the ball and I think you will always see that in a program is geared towards developing leadership at all levels regardless of seniority."

Verducci mentioned tackles Levy and Knappe and guard Samra among the players taking leadership roles on offense.

Tomorrow night we'll get the first look at how this offense is going to look and get the answers to some of the questions posted above.

It took all of five games during Arkeel Newsome's freshman season at UConn to do one of the few things he did not accomplish during his final two seasons during a record-shattering career at Ansonia High School.

It was in a 36-10 home loss to Temple that Newsome caught a pair of passes including one resulting in a scintillating 74-yard touchdown. He caught three more passes in the next game (a 12-3 loss to Tulane).

Newsome caught a total of seven passes as a junior and senior with the Chargers and never more than one in a game. In his three seasons as the Chargers' featured back Newsome caught a total of 12 passes. He nearly matched that total as a freshman at UConn as his 11 receptions were the most for any running back for the Huskies during the 2014 season. Realizing that his pass-catching duties could be a major part of UConn's offense this season resulted in Newsome paying extra attention to that part of his skill set during the offseason.

"Now I am (catching passes) a lot," Newsome said. "I am working on the catching with the JUGS machine and also that focus on the ball when it is coming at me.

"I am just ready for whatever they throw at me, giving it 100 percent with whatever I do."
Newsome was named as a co-starter at tailback along with fellow sophomore Ron Johnson. UConn coach Bob Diaco didn't feel like it was appropriate to name one of the two backs over the other one because they will both be featured prominently in the offense.

Beginning on Thursday night when Villanova comes to Rentschler Field, we will get the first look at how both Newsome and Johnson will be utilized under first-year offensive coordinator Frank Verducci said.

The scrimmage stretched from the late morning to the early afternoon on a balmy Thursday at Rentschler Field but Max DeLorenzo's work was far from being finished.

While his five carries only netted 11 yards, the lone senior running back on the UConn squad had a chance to display another aspect of his game when he floated down the near sideline. Bryant Shirreffs' pass was just a tad on the high side and a little behind him when DeLorenzo reached up and snared the ball for the most impressive reception by somebody not named Noel Thomas. The 12-yard catch got the drive going in the right direction and could be a sign of things to come.

DeLorenzo has caught a total of 14 passes in three seasons at UConn but it is a part of his game that is has a lot of confidence in.

"That is one of my strengths. In (Berlin) high school I was good with my hands, came into high school with good hands but now I am finally getting utilized as a receiver, in the slot and I love it," DeLorenzo said. "I love being versatile and consistent with everything I do whether that is fullback, tailback, slot, wideout or whatever."

At the first practice the media was allowed in to watch, offensive coordinator and running backs coach Frank Verducci could be heard saying to DeLorenzo "I've never seen you catch the ball better."

If that is what it takes for DeLorenzo to get on the field, that is fine with him. A year ago DeLorenzo had a bit of a bizarre season. He led the team with 57 rushing attempts in the first five games of the season. Then he had just 13 carries over the next six games as true freshmen Ron Johnson and Arkeel Newsome became featured backs. Then in a season-ending loss to SMU he ran for a season-high 66 yards aided by a 46-yard touchdown scamper.

Johnson and Newsome are both back and looking more confident as well as quicker so it would seem likely they will once again be key cogs in the running game. Josh Marriner, also heading into his sophomore season, is another young runner with plenty of promise. DeLorenzo knows the deal and he is ready to embrace any role the coaches have for him.

"It comes to the point where we have so much talent especially us four at tailback and we are all going to have a role," DeLorenzo said. "Some games I may get less than five carries, some games I might get 15 plus you never know. It is just what the coaches want, how the rhythm of the game is going and who is hot."

So what has DeLorenzo seen in his younger tailbacks?

"Mental growth and maturity," DeLorenzo said. "They are all obviously talented and not knowing the game, the defenses too much last year and they are starting to pick it up. You can see the blitzes that are coming, see holes, set up blocks so as long as they keep going like that, they will be great."

I'm still not sure if I should call sophomore Luke Carrezola a linebacker or a defensive end but this much I know, he is certainly looking like an impact player.

Today was practice No. 6 for the Huskies and the first that the media was able to watch. Once the team finished with the stretching and positional work, Carrezola began to make his presence felt in 11 on 11 and 1 on 1 drills. He showed tremendous explosion off the edge and I believe the only way he could have been in the backfield any more would be if he lined up at running back. If I were giving out three stars like they do in hockey, Carrezola. DT Foley Fatukasi and RB Ron Johnson would be my picks.

"He is tough," UConn coach Bob Diaco said, "He is the epitome of effort and energy. He has development to do as a young player and the season kind of got cut short of stalled (due to injury)  but he is going to be a great player here."

Carrezola showed tremendous potential in the six games that he played as a true freshman and if he had stayed healthy, I truly expected him to play a bigger role in the second half of the season.

Listed at 242 a season ago, now Carrezola is listed at 255 pounds. He certainly looks like he is ready to make his presence felt.

"Now I am really excited for the season and just came into camp ready to go, give my best for the team," Carrezola said. "We have a great trainers here so they helped me every step of the way when I got hurt. Every day I just worked as hard as I could on rehab, as hard as I could in the weight room and I just developed my body.

"I am very comfortable, I love this defense, I love this team and I am going to give everything I can for UConn and the UConn fans. I am fine playing with a chip on my shoulder but like everybody else I am looking to get better and just get some wins."

As for the additional weight he is carrying ...

"Coach (Matt) Balis has done a great job with me and I just love him to death," Carrezola said. "I put on good weight, I am still running well and I am excited. Coach Balis, I'll tell you he will work you out."

Carrezola's teammates have taken notice of his development.

"He is unbelievable," said sophomore tight end Tommy Myers. "Like all of us, he is just working so hard. I think we have all taken that step to the next level not only physically and mentally but also just leaning the game.

"We watch film very single day and the defense just looks unbelievable this year. I think it is just going to be very good."

As for the practice, not much to report. No surprises on the starting defense as it is the same as what was listed in the preseason prospectus (Kenton Adeyemi-Julian Campenni-Foley Fatukasi-Carrezola-Graham Stewart-Junior Joseph-Graham Stewart-Jamar Summers-Jhavon Williams-Obi Melifonwu-Andrew Adams). On offense Ron Johnson looked very quick at tailback and I do mean very quick while Noel Thomas carries himself as a No. 1 receiver. It looks very much like it is Bryant Shirreffs' job to lose at quarterback. Brendan Vechery was the No. 1 center (I will have more on that on the story I am filing for the Register).

As for Diaco's thoughts on the first six practices, here's what he said.

"Andreas has worked on his game, he looks better and better, the two safeties (Adams and Melifonwu) have raised to a level that we expect from them which is greatness so that is positive. Junior (Joseph), (Marquise) Vann has had a lot of pressure on him from Matt (Walsh), he has responded and so has Matt. Kenton (Adeyemi) has put the best six practices together since I have been around so far so there are so many."

If there was a negative in Diaco's eyes, he did see too many people on the ground. At this time of the year it is more about technique than delivering highlight variety hits. I asked Diaco in particular about the huge shot safety Junior Lee put on tailback Max DeLorenzo.

"We train that at other times," Diaco said. "It was outside the tempo. Nobody should have even been on the ground. We will clip every one of those when a guy was on the ground and show it to the players in terms of 'hey, we are going to have trouble being as good as we can be without everybody being available. We can get real good but we need all of this manpower too."
Diaco also gave his thoughts on Shirreffs saying, "he is no longer the new guy. It's over, been there, done that, that's done and here we go. He goes out there and really tries to take command. It is really nice, it is what the team needs and what the offense needs. Bryant in particular has done a nice job leading that group."

Here are his thoughts on tailback Arkeel Newsome:
"He has to squeeze the ball," Diaco said. "If he doesn't squeeze the ball, he is not going to play. If he squeezes the ball he is going to play a bunch. he is electric. We have to get the ball to him in many kinds of different ways and he will hold on it. Ball security has been strong so far through camp so he will get a bunch."

I am going to hold off going too much into who was running with the second team especially among the true freshmen until Saturday. If the pecking order is the same, I would feel more comfortable discussing those players but I saw three true freshmen getting a serious amount of second-team reps.

Finally, I am having issues with my Tout video app  on my phone so until that gets taken care of, you will not be getting videos from me.

Tyler Samra is one of two returning offensive linemen to start
all 12 games at UConn during 2014 season

The exact timeline is a little fuzzy to Mike Cummings.

At some point during his first season on the UConn football coaching staff all the weeks felt like all the other ones. So just when Cummings, who was hired to be the offensive coordinator and work with the tight ends, began taking on more of a hands' on approach with the struggling offensive line escapes him.

"Some of it is a blur for me but I would say it was around week four," Cummings said.
The timing would make sense. The fourth game of the season was the nightmare at South Florida when the Huskies abandoned the passing game for a significant portion of the game because the coaching staff didn't want to risk more costly turnovers.

Once the season began the practices were not open to the media which is nothing new as it was the same way when Paul Pasqualoni was the Huskies' head coach. The result is I didn't fully understand how involved Cummings was in the improved play of the offensive line until the season was over.
UConn coach Bob Diaco did want to use the fact that Cummings was being pulled in a few different ways as an excuse. But when the season came to an end, it was clear he was going to make some changes on the offensive side of the ball. Mike Foley, who coached the offensive line from 2006-10 when future NFL running backs Jordan Todman and Donald Brown were among the nation's most productive tailbacks. When Pasqualoni was hired, he brought in George DeLeone to work with the offensive line and Foley moved over to work with the tight ends during the 2011 and 2012 seasons and started the 2013 season in the same capacity. When Pasqualoni and DeLeone were fired after an 0-4 start, Foley returned to work with the offensive line. He was the only coach retained by Diaco before deciding that something had to be done.

When the dust settled none of the remaining offensive assistants had the same responsibilities. Nobody was more impacted than Cummings who returned to his speciality of coaching the offensive line. While he is still listed as co-offensive coordinator, veteran NFL assistant coach Frank Verducci was brought in to be the offensive coordinator and call the plays.

In retrospect Cummings admitted the time be devoted on fixing the leaky offensive line probably hurt his performance as a play caller.

"I spent all the individual time with the line," Cummings said. "The division was doing position, individual (work) with the offensive line and then I spent time with the team in the other (practice periods).

"It is difficult when you spend so much time coaching five guys that it feels like it is a different world. It if difficult because you are focused and locked in on a particular portion of the offense that when you step out into the big picture, you kind of go back to that part of the offense which is a huge part of the offense."

The results were hard to overlook.

UConn did not allow a sack in three of the last four games and the running game was more productive as well. After the East Carolina game UConn had one game with at least 160 rushing yards in the last 31 contests. The Huskies accomplished the feat three times in the last five games with the 249 yards against SMU is the most since a Nov. 11, 2010 game against Pittsburgh.

"That was huge," Cummings said. "That does mean a lot. If you coach the position, you are motivated by players getting better. You are not motivated by notoriety, obviously you want to win the games and that is primary but seeing players get better and develop skill wise, emotionally, socially those are big deals."

Cummings said he is 100 percent all in with his new role. I'm sure seeing somebody else call the plays must have stung Cummings a little but he certainly said all the right things about Verducci's arrival and his changing role.

"Frank is very detailed," Cummings said. "I think he has a very good vision and plan and I think it is a shared vision. I enjoy working with him, he really likes collaborative efforts with the staff which is big. He lets the position coaches have ownership."

As for the players he will be working with, Richard Levy and Tyler Samra started every game at left tackle and right guard respectively. Andreas Knappe likely would have started every game at right tackle if not for a leg injury he suffered late in preseason camp. He started the last seven games while true freshman Ryan Crozier was the starting left guard for the final three games. UConn did lose Alex Mateas, the starter at center in all 12 games, and Gus Cruz, who got the start at left guard for the first nine games. Those were the only losses on the offensive line. Trey Rutherford, Thomas Hopkins, Kyle Bockeloh and Gifford lead the list of the other linemen who got game experience a season ago. Obviously the biggest question facing the offensive line is who is going to earn the starting center job. Daniel Oak, who redshirted last season, drew plenty of praise for his work in practice. He figures to push Bockeloh for the job. Cummings couldn't say enough good things about Oak, who added 13 pounds since the end of last season and is now listed at 278.

"Dan Oak made a lot of progress," Cummings said. "He is a smart player, he is very tough. While he didn't get the game experience, we felt it was best to redshirt him because we could. He is a player that we are expecting a lot from him. We were able to put him in (practice) and he was able to battle with our defense as a next man in, not as a scout team or look team (center) and he was very aggressive. He did a good job, not a great job but a good job against our nose men which in our league are very difficult to block."

Another player of interest is Shelton's Steve Hashemi, who was moved to tight end and saw time on special teams as a true freshman. With so many tight ends as part of the incoming freshman class, Hashemi can move back to the offensive line which is what he was recruited to play.

"He has a lot of upside and he is going to develop," Cummings said. "He is only 270 pounds. I say only 270 but he's going to weight 300 and some pounds. He is a good big athlete who could step in and be able to do the job we asked him to do. Now we've got somebody for that job so we will bring him back and put him in the position we really wanted him in."

Obviously true freshmen Crozier and Rutherford were seeing time throughout the season and the Huskies had inexperienced starters at the tackle position. It is only natural that there were some growing pains.

"There is a frustration part of it that you know they are going to be really good but they are not there yet so you had to pull it back and make sure what you teach them is to the smallest common denominator so they can successful," said Cummings, who helped turn Eric Fisher from lightly-regarded prospect to become the No. 1 overall pick in the 2013 NFL Draft during his four years coaching the offensive line at Central Michigan. "As they get older it is really fun because they have the building blocks and experience. It is not a guy who is in his third year and hasn't played, it is a little different."

It also helps that the offensive linemen continue to bulk up led by the tackle duo of Levy and Knappe.
"They are pushers, shovers, mushers were everybody else is a runner," Cummings said. "They are totally trained for that, that has been a big improvement for Andreas, he has been through the battles."

NEWSOME, JOHNSON READY FOR AN ENCORESpeaking of young players getting a baptism under fire, there wasn't much time for tailbacks Ron Johnson and Arkeel Newsome to act like the true freshmen that they were a season ago. With Max DeLorenzo the only experienced tailback on last year's team, Johnson, Newsome and redshirt freshman Josh Marriner were thrown right into the mix from the opening game.
That experience should serve the young running backs well this season.

"He is a guy that is obviously very explosive so we tried to find ways to get him the ball," said UConn assistant coach David Corley, who coached the running backs last season. "We got the ball in his hands and a couple of times he was able to make some big plays happen. It is a natural maturation process. In your first year of college there are so many distractions that are happening, things are moving faster on the field then they were in high school. I think he was able to settle himself. I think he is better prepared now  what is expected from him, what is necessary and I think he is looking forward to these 15 days of spring practice and find a way to get better every day.

"They had no choice but to grow up. You come out high school, you are used to a certain speed of the game, a certain size of the opponents. Now you are in college and you are playing against grown me who are 21/22 years old. I think those guys definitely, it was a process and it didn't happen overnight but I think they learned and they grew up quite a bit in those 12 games last year."

For more than a half the only positive plays made in UConn's running game were provided by senior receiver Deshon Foxx.

Foxx, seeing snaps at quarterback for the second time this season, changed the Huskies' fortunes when he ripped off a game-tying 68-yard scoring run in the first half of Saturday's upset of Central Florida.

When Foxx came into the game on the Huskies' second offensive possession of the second half UConn's running backs had carried the ball three times (all by true freshman Ron Johnson) for negative one yard. That was about to change when Foxx ran a zone read play and at the last second let freshman and former Ansonia High star Arkeel Newsome keep the ball.

Newsome ripped off a 20-yard run, his second longest of the season, to set up the Huskies with a 1st and goal at the 1. On fourth down Johnson scored from 1 yard out to give UConn a 24-21 lead. On the next drive Newsome carried the ball three times for 12 yards leading to Chandler Whitmer's 22-yard scoring strike to Noel Thomas to put the Huskies up by 10 points.

Newsome was quick to credit Foxx for helping him break loose.

"He opened it up a lot," Newsome said. "He is very fast and the reads he was making was great. They weren't sure if the quarterback was going to keep it or not or if I was going (to carry ball)."

It's been an intriguing first season for Newsome, the all-time leading rusher in Connecticut high school football history. He's had at least one 20-yard play in six of the eight games this season highlighted by a 74-yard touchdown scamper on a screen pass for the Huskies' only touchdown against Temple. He is UConn's leader with 706 all-purpose yards, leads all of the Huskies' running backs with an average of 4.2 yards per carry and leads of UConn's running backs with nine catches and 120 receiving yards.

"It's been great, we have been getting better so it is good," Newsome said.

Newsome has had at least 96 all-purpose yards in four of the last five games including 213 against Temple. The lone exception came against East Carolina when a lower-leg injury limited him to playing one series in the third quarter.

"I wasn't mad at all." Newsome said, "I was still rooting on my team. I wasn't in there but I was taking mental reps and seeing holes."

In the first five games Max DeLorenzo received the most work about the four tailbacks as he had 57 rushing attempts. However, in the last three games UConn has turned almost exclusively to Johnson and Newsome as DeLorenzo had one carry, Josh Marriner had six offensive touches, all coming in the East Carolina game when Newsome was mostly unavailable.

In the win over Central Florida Johnson had 11 times for 27 yards including his first two touchdowns as a Husky while Newsome added 32 yards on four carries in a 37-29 win.

"Beating a team in our conference just gives us confidence," Newsome said. "Moving forward it gave us a huge confidence boost knowing we are playing in a big, big game.

"It was great, so much energy and excitement. We got to sing the fight song (in the locker room after the game) so it was all good."

There are plenty of intriguing angles off tomorrow's UConn/Tulane game but none drew my attention more than the Huskies' and Green Wave's reliance on freshmen - especially at the running back position.

The headliners are Tulane's Sherman Badie, who has three runs of more than 70 yards in Tulane's first five games of the season and UConn's Arkeel Newsome, who had a 74-yard touchdown on a screen pass in the Huskies' last game which is the longest offensive scoring play since Shakim Phillips' 75-yard TD catch in a 2013 game against Maryland.

However, there are other newcomers making an impact for both teams as Dontrell Hilliard have added 101 rushing yards for Tulane while Ron Johnson and Josh Marriner are the UConn freshmen very much in the running back mix at UConn.

What I find interesting is that of the 125 Football Bowl Subdivision programs, Tulane and UConn rank ninth and 11th in the percentage of rushing yards coming from the freshman class and with UConn coach Bob Diaco stating that he intends to get Newsome and Johnson more offensive touches, the Huskies could be moving up the charts.

Here is the breakdown (not including this week's games).
Team                     PCT  FR. YARDS TOTAL YARDS
Washington State 110.0 95-373 122-339
USF                        95.0 128-643 169-677
Vanderbilt              84.2 136-558 182-663
FIU                        78.8 127-484 217-614
Northwestern         72.1 105-470 198-652
Western Michigan 72.1 118-676 188-937
Virginia Tech         67.9 155-706 252-1040
Arizona                  67.4 146-755 217-1120
Tulane                    63.9 110-546 184-855
Clemson                 61.9 116-480 228-775
UConn                    59.5 71-232 174-390

Ansonia's Arkeel Newsome (22) and Ron Johnson out of Naples, Fla. (3)
expected to see more time at tailback beginning with Tulane game

While a bye week allowed the UConn football team to try to clean up the issues which have resulted in committing turnovers at the most inopportune time as well as allowing the nicked up players time to heal, it gave me a little time to do some research.

There will be more about what I was able to look up for my advance running in Saturday's paper, with Bob Diaco's declaration that true freshmen Arkeel Newsome and Ron Johnson are expected to see more action at tailback moving forward seemed to provide the perfect opportunity to reveal that he is one of 10 freshmen at the Football Bowl Subdivision level to have a game with at least 200 all-purpose yards. The change was noted in the depth chart as well. Max DeLorenzo has been the unquestioned No. 1 guy at tailback on the depth chart but this week DeLorenzo, Johnson, Newsome and redshirt freshman Josh Marriner are all named as co-starters.

Newsome accomplished the feat in the Huskies' most recent game as he ran seven times for 30 yards, caught two passes for 77 yards including a scintillating 74-yard touchdown and added 104 yards on six kickoff returns to become to first true freshman at UConn with 200 all-purpose yards since Terry Caulley accomplished the feat against Kent State on Nov. 9, 2002. What's interesting about my research is that four of 10 play for American Athletic Conference teams including Tulane's Sherman Badie, who will test the UConn defense on Saturday night.

Here is the list

Marlon Mack  USF vs. Western Carolina  275 rush 5 rec      280

Shaun Wilson Duke vs. Kansas 245 rush, 7 receiving           252

Samaje Perine Oklahoma vs. West Virginia 242 rush            242

Terry Swanson Toledo vs. W. Michigan 172 rush 54 rec  226

KD Cannon Baylor vs. Northwestern St 223 receiving          223

Sherman Badie Tulane vs. Tulsa  215 rush 6 receiving         221

Arkeel Newsome UConn vs, Temple 30 run 77 rec 104 KO 213

Trevon Brown East Carolina vs. N. Carolina 117rec 93 KO 210

Jarvion Franklin Western Michigan vs. Idaho 210 rush ing 210

Mike Dudek Illinois vs. Purdue 200 receiving 200

As you can imagine, I made the increased role of Newsome and Johnson the focus of the story running in tomorrow's paper.

BENGALS WORKING OUT SMALLWOOD
According to Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun, the Cincinnati Bengals brought in former UConn linebacker Yawin Smallwood for a workout.

Smallwood was drafted by the Atlanta Falcons in the seventh round of this year's NFL Draft after coming out a year early. He was cut late in the training camp by the Falcons

When UConn takes to the field against Tulane on Saturday, it will be a landmark moment in the young life of Andreas Knappe.

Knappe and his family made so many sacrifices resulting in his leaving Silkeborg, Denmark to play collegiate football in the United States. He redshirted during the 2012 season and only played in one game as a redshirt freshman.

Knappe was pushing to be the starting right offensive tackle before a lower-leg injury sidelined him for the first two games of the season. He snap count progressively increased in each of the last three games and with starter Dalton Gifford to be sidelined for a while, Knappe is set to make his first career start on Saturday night.

"I still prepare with the same intensity and put my head into the game so it doesn't really change my preparation to be honest,' Knappe said.

"It tests your patience when you are an athlete because you want to play so getting nicked up and having to sit out obviously it was a little bit of a hard time for my preparation but  going through all the mental reps and going through everything at that point was great."

Knappe played almost the entire game after the first series in the loss to Temple and with UConn not playing last week, has more time to get ready for his first start.

"The bye week came at a good time and then again, you always want to get out there so not having a game this weekend was kind of an empty feeling me," Knappe said. "You get to practice a little more, get to work on your craft and hopefully it will pay off."

I'm not sure how many people in Denmark have access to ESPNews but I am sure his inner circle of friends will be staying up to check in on the pride of Silkeborg even if will be 2 a.m. in Silkeborg when the UConn-Tulane game kicks off.

"Mostly my former teammates, my close friends and family are like 'wow, this is huge.' Just getting to play in general, I am lucky to be in the position I am and I am thankful," Knappe said.

Knappe said there is a buzz back home especially with up and coming players considering following the path he is blazing.

"I have talked to a couple of younger guys, they have facebooked me and they asked 'how did your recruiting process work?' I am just trying to help those guys out and achieving their dream too. I think back home more people will try to pursue this."

It doesn't hurt that UConn's road games include stops in Tampa, New Orleans and Memphis.

"I love traveling, seeing new places and every time we go somewhere new it is a new place I haven't been to in the U.S. so that is really cool too," Knappe said.

As for other items of today's press conference, UConn coach Bob Diaco said safety Obi Melifonwu who was injured making a tackle in the second quarter of the Temple loss, has been cleared to participate as has punter Justin Wain although Diaco stopped short of saying Wain will resume his punting duties just yet.

Diaco also said that true freshmen running backs Arkeel Newsome and Ron Johnson are expected to see more playing time moving forward.
http://www.nationalfootballpost.com/Source-Bengals-try-out-Adrian-Robinson-Yawin-Smallwood.html

He also said he'd like to continue to use multiple quarterbacks but how much he utilizes sophomore backup Tim Boyle will be determined by how he is feeling.

"Nothing too crazy," Boyle said of his lower-leg discomfort, "I am physically able to go but just some discomfort here and there.

"I'm very anxious, this discomfort has been there for a little bit. I am fighting through it, doing rehab. I can't wait to feel 100 percent and excited to get out there."

Diaco wants to get Boyle some live-game reps but he isn't going to put him in harm's way.

"Tim is the quarterback of the future. He is going to be the quarterback of the team - unless he gets beat out - he will be the quarterback of the team in 2015 and '16, another reason why it is incredibly encouraging, the future," Diaco said. "That is the reason why we want him to play in every single game. You saw that pass that he threw (against Temple), just lack of focus, lack of intensity, late down the middle, off target, gets picked and that is a learning moment that we definitely want him to learn right now. We don't want him to learn it in the back 2/3 of this season and we don't want him to learn it in '15 and definitely not in '16. The only way to learn that lesson is to play in games, there is no other way to simulate it."

Diaco also made it clear that Deshon Foxx is in play to see more time at quarterback after finishing out the Temple game at QB.

"It is not a Foxx package, it is the offense," Diaco said. "I guess the opponent can look at it any way they want to look at it but if they want to look at it as wildcatish, if they want to look at the Foxx plan as a wildcat plan then they would be making a mistake because Foxx can thrown all of the passes, he has a strong arm, he can run our offense. He can run our offense from the gun, he can run our offense from under center so to say it is a Foxx package, they can do whatever they want. They want to see it as a wildcat but it is not, Foxx can run an offense, all the calls and all the plays "

DIACO: SCHEDULE IS "QUIRKY"
As a result of having two bye weeks in a three-week span UConn will play one game in a 25-day span.

It was clear that Diaco wasn't a big fan of how that part of the schedule shook out.

"That is really bizarre and the biggest concern would be timing," Diaco said. "The only thing I can relate to is time preparing for the national championship game (at Notre Dame). That long break, preparing the team for timing in that game became a big issue. How far should we go with timing as opposed to (concern) over the health of our players. It is an interesting, it won' happen again or at least in the near future. It is a quirky portion for sure."

The players downplayed the impact of Saturday's game being the only one from Sept. 28 to Oct. 22.

"I didn't notice it when the schedule came out but I kind of tried to focus on the first game of the season," UConn senior receiver Deshon Foxx said. "It is not my favorite thing to have just one game in that time but especially coming off a loss we needed (the bye week). It defintiely is a good thing if you look at it as a good thing and a negative thing if you look at it as a negative thing."

Arkeel Newsome (22) and Ron Johnson (3) are already making their
presence felt two games into their freshman season at UConn

At first glance the numbers put up by true freshman tailbacks Arkeel Newsome and Ron Johnson in the first two games of the season won't jump out at you.

However, the duo has shown more explosion than their combined 53 rushing yards in 15 carries would seem to indicate.

Newsome, who shattered so many rushing and scoring marks in the Connecticut high school football record book during his spectacular run at Ansonia High, not only has the team's longest run (22 yards against Stony Brook) but his 18-yard reception against BYU (on his first career offensive touch) is the longest by a Husky running back this season. He also has the team's longest kickoff return (34 yards) this season.

On his weekly radio show UConn football coach Bob Diaco raved about Newsome's promising future and his veteran teammates have also been impressed with what they have seen from him.

"He is a great back, very explosive and he is quick on his feet and he is a very special player, UConn senior receiver Deshon Foxx said. "I like how he gets the ball and he goes vertical, he doesn't believe in dancing and when he gets the ball he is running."

While the 5-foot-8 Newsome is known for his incredible quickness, the 217-pound Johnson is a bruising runner.

"They are two great young backs," UConn junior offensive tackle Dalton Gifford said, "Arkeel is explosive, Ron is a huge dude who can run people over. It is like a perfect little duo of running backs, one coming down on you to take you out and the other is going to run right past you."

A couple of things I noticed about Johnson on Saturday had little to do with his running ability. The team comes out onto the field in a couple of waves with the offensive linemen usually the last to make their way down the stairs. As the second group headed towards the field Johnson walked to the stairs so he could welcome them by extending his hand. Then after a strong four-yard run during the game Johnson went to each offensive lineman and did exactly the same thing, exchanging a quick slapping of hands as a way of thanking them for the hole to run through. I've never spoken to him but just from seeing those two actions I am seeing a kid with plenty of maturity.

I asked Gifford is that was an indication that Johnson was much more vocal than the very reserved Newsome and he said that wasn't necessarily the case.

"They are both running backs and both young, they haven't really opened up yet but I am sure their personalities will come out in coming years and in the coming games," Gifford said.

Kamal Abrams, seen celebrating after a touchdown
in the spring game, was deeply impacted by death
of his close friend Rashaad Lewis last month

Even now when he thinks back UConn receiver Kamal Abrams can't believe that his close friend Rashaad Lewis will not be among his circle of friends he hangs out with on future trips back home.

Last month Abrams got word that 20-year-old Lewis was stabbed in an altercation and became the first homicide in Dover, Delaware this year.

Abrams left UConn for a brief period so he could return home for Lewis' funeral.

When he returned, he was still in mourning but rather than wallow in despair, he used the memory of Lewis and the good times the two shared to help him become a better person and better football player.

"I was most definitely ready to come back. I couldn't just give up because of the fight he had for his life," Abrams said. "I admired that and it still sticks with me to this day. I have to continue to fight for my goals and dreams, live through him, not take anything for granted and cherish these moments with my teammates in my college career. I only have two seasons left so I am going to try to make the most of everything I can.

We grew up together, he was a close friend of mine, my dad knew his dad and when I was home, we always hung out. I've always had a close spot in my heart for him so when he passed it really hit me."

Abrams was given permission to take whatever time he needed in order to be there for not only his own family but that of Lewis as well.

"I felt like I did (help Lewis' family) and they helped me a lot," Abrams said. "It was a reality check but for the most part being around family is always a good thing, it kept my spirits high and I am pretty sure I kept their spirits high. The only thing I can do is pray for him and let his family know that he will always hold a special spot in my heart for him.

"This is my first time dealing with stuff like this. I lost grandparents but somebody that so close to my age and somebody I would see when I was home, it was really devastating and to this day I still can't believe that he passed."

KNAPPE PROGRESSING
After missing the season opener due to a lower-leg injury, offensive tackle Andreas Knappe is getting closer to returning to the field for the Huskies.

"He is getting closer," UConn coach Bob Diaco said. "He is going to do more in practice, more push and pull kind of activities. Most of his activities up to this point have been mental and has been without resistance so we will add controlled resistance today to his work load."

NEWSOME IMPRESSING

Diaco liked what he saw from former Ansonia High star Arkeel Newsome, the all-time leading rusher in Connecticut high school football history and could see expanded roles for both Newsome and fellow true freshman Ron Johnson.

"They are coming on, I am pleased with that group," Diaco said. "Arkeel played 10 plays, some plays go in as runs and change while they are in the course of the play but Arkeel showed everything we were talking about a few weeks ago. He's got a burst, he hits everything at full speed, he doesn't decelerate to cut or move, he has good vision and he has excellent contact bounce, whether it be inertia or general power to run through tackles. He is an impressive back, he needs to get the ball more and he will."

Diaco said he intends to continue platooning players for the next two weeks and by the time the Huskies open American Athletic Conference play with a game at South Florida that he will settle on a more streamlined substitution pattern on both offense and defense.

Josh Marriner and the other UConn freshmen running backs were
involved in the running and passing game in season-opening loss

While the way quarterbacks Casey Cochran and Chandler Whitmer were utilized in last night's game against BYU continues to be a popular topic of conversation, I was more concerned with who was getting the ball thrown to them.

The first thing that caught my eye is that freshmen running backs Arkeel Newsome, Josh Marriner and Ron Johnson had receptions of 18, 17 and 11 yards respectively. So what you may say but a season ago you would have to go to the 11th game of the season to document three catches of at least 10 yards by the running backs and the 49 receiving yards by the backs tops any number the Huskies put forth a season ago.

"It is an important piece," Diaco said. "As a (former) defensive coordinator and (former) linebacker, those guys are hard to cover."

As for overall targets, I went through last night's tape and here is what I came up with (this includes plays wiped out due to penalty)

Player               Targets     Catches

Geremy Davis     13            7

Deshon Foxx        9            2

Sean McQuillan    6            3

Kamal Abrams     5            3

Noel Thomas       4            2

Dhameer Bradley 4            1

Alec Bloom          2            2

Thomas Lucas      2           0

Ron Johnson        2            1

Jazzmar Clax       1            1

Josh Marriner      1            1

Tommy Myers     1            1

Arkeel Newsome 1           1

Although UConn's tailbacks only combined for 84 yards on 24 carries, Diaco liked what he saw from them. The play calling was slanted more to the pass game (52 to 27 if you count the four sacks as pass plays even though they go down as running plays). Much of that has to do with getting down 14-0 early.

He had good things to say about both true freshmen Arkeel Newsome, who he said uses all of his body mass as a runner as he is at optimal speed when he has the ball in his hands. He said Johnson also impressed him but in a different way. Newsome added a 34-yard kickoff return and he looked like the most explosive of the three players sent back on kickoffs.

Diaco also said that the team came through the game in pretty good shape health wise with nothing but the normal bumps and bruises. He said he was happy with what he heard from the training staff including that offensive tackle Andreas Knappe "is getting better."

Now that the drama surrounding the naming of a starting quarterback is out of the way, it is a perfect time to focus on some other hotly-contested battles for starting positions at UConn.

TAILBACK: Max DeLorenzo is the returnee with the most experience but I will go on the record as saying that I expect Josh Marriner to be UConn's leading rusher this season. I am very interested to see how true freshmen Arkeel Newsome and Ron Johnson are utilized. Springing a game-breaking player like Newsome on teams for 6-10 snaps a game could add some much-needed juice to the offense.

Brian Lemelle (84) and Dhameer Bradley (1) are in the mix
to be the No. 3 wide receiver for UConn during 2014 season

NO. 3 WIDE RECEIVER: I do not expect UConn to use the three-receiver sets as much this year as a season ago simply because UConn coach Bob Diaco is going to use more multiple tight end formations. Geremy Davis and Deshon Foxx are unquestionably the top two receivers. Thomas Lucas has been getting plenty of love in the preseason. Brian Lemelle, Dhameer Bradley and Noel Thomas, who had 16, 13 and five catches respectively as true freshmen, will be in the mix. I haven't heard much about Kamal Abrams but wouldn't be surprised to see him in the rotation.
DEFENSIVE END: There's been plenty of buzz surrounding Reuben Frank, whether he lines up as a defensive end or outside linebacker on the right side, but no position appears to be more competitive than the defensive end on the other side of the ball as B.J. McBryde and Kenton Adeyemi appear to be running neck and neck. Adeyemi has run out with the first unit in the last two practices the media was able to attend but Diaco raved about McBryde when I asked about the competition between the two of them after a recent practice.

Both Adeyemi and McBride had sacks during the spring game and figure prominently in UConn's defensive line rotation regardless of which one ends up drawing the starting position.

NO. 2 CORNERBACK: Byron Jones is unquestionably UConn's top corner. Jhavon Williams received plenty of work as a nickel corner a season ago and he figured to be a starting CB this year. However, true freshman Jamar Summers has been opening eyes since he arrived on campus in January. He finished tied for third on the team with five tackles in the spring game and with Williams less than 100 percent early in camp, Summers was seeing plenty of first-team work. Javon Hadley is another talented youngster with the capability to push for playing time.

KICK RETURNER: Diaco said that Foxx will be the primary punt returner and will be handling kickoffs as well. Now the question is who will go back with Foxx on kickoff returns. Diaco said that Bradley, Lemelle and all the tailbacks are in the mix for that position. Unfortunately, I did not see UConn work on shagging kickoffs during the media access portion of practice so can't offer too much insight into who has been getting most of the work back there.

ANOTHER MAJOR AWARD FOR JENNINGS?
The Arena Football League will hand out its individual awards tomorrow in Cleveland and among the candidates for the Rookie of the Year has to be former UConn star Teddy Jennings.

Jennings led all rookies with 11 sacks during his rookie season with the Philadelphia Soul as he was a first team AFL pick at defensive end. I can't say I follow the Arena Football League enough to come up with a complete list of the top candidates but the only other player to earn first team honors was Portland defensive back Varmah Sonie, who had nine interceptions and led all first-year players with 86 tackles. Orlando receiver Greg Carr was a second team selection and he finished sixth in the league with 113 catches and 1,435 yards. Another player to consider is A.J. Cruz as the former Brown star led the league in kickoff return average, was sixth in punt returns and also returned a missed field goal 58 yards for a score.